Christine Luken, a financial coach and founder of Financial Dignity, says shopping at stores like Aldi is one of the best ways to save money on organic foods.
This German-based grocery store chain keeps its prices low by being short on frills – there's no fancy deli or bakery – and high on efficiency. You bag your groceries and need a quarter to get your cart, so there are fewer employees in the store.
But to save money on organic food purchases, he suggests buying organic versions of the “dirty dozen” produce items that are most likely to have higher levels of pesticide residue.
These include, among others, strawberries, spinach, and apples for produce that is less likely to have pesticide residues. For “Clean Fifteen” items like avocados, asparagus, sweet corn, and pineapple, consider buying non-organic versions.